To Pre-empt
Posted in Linguistic Annoyances at 13:00 on 7 January 2012
Twice within one day recently I heard/read this verb being used as if it means “warns of” or “signals.”
Once was by a member of Snow Patrol talking about vinyl records – which are apparently making a comeback. He said about their appeal, “It’s that pre-emptive crackle.”
The other was in a piece of fiction where this sentence appeared, “The sky has taken on that bright translucent quality that pre-empts a thunderstorm.” (The thunderstorm later arrived, thereby making the sentence obtuse.)
One more word in danger of losing its meaning because people don’t actually know what it means?
To pre-empt is of course to forestall, to stave off: as in a pre-emptive military strike which seeks to prevent an enemy performing an action or to destroy part of their forces before they can be used. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 was an attempt at a pre-emptive strike. I say attempt because, crucially, it failed to destroy the US aircraft carriers.
The Israeli air force has carried out successful pre-emptive strikes (at the start of the Six Day War and when they attacked the Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981.)
Tags: Iraqi nuclear reactor, Japanese, Pearl Harbor, pre-empt, Six Day War, Snow Patrol, US
jackdeighton
1 March 2012 at 19:11
Someone commenting as Thomas Kennedy said, “Maybe stop being uptight and worrying about how other people talk because it makes you seem very pathetic and considering you right a blog which nobody reads it gets more and more beleivable, RG”
My reply was:-
Did you actually mean to mis-spell “write” and “believable,” Thomas?
If so it was quite a good joke. But the tenor of your comment argues that you didn’t mean it.
I’m not uptight. I just think that communication is important and, to avoid confusion, people should get it right. (Right; which is totally different from write, I hope you’ll agree.)
And you have obviously read my blog, which I might suggest negates your point.
Just in case he’s a troll I have unapproved Mr Kennedy’s original comment.